Innovation Campus
Krause’s Competition-Winning Design for an Economy Hub in Phoenix
Economic revitalization
In the heart of South Phoenix, a new project is taking shape that promises to redefine sustainability and urban development. Led by the Phoenix City Council and the C40 Reinventing Cities initiative, the Resource Innovation Campus, or RIC, is set to transform around 20 acres of underutilized land into a vibrant business hub. The new complex is mainly dedicated to providing an opportunity for job growth and economic revitalization in the historic Estrella Village area.
Following our previous collaboration on the futuristic Madrean Tower, the Arizona-based studio Krause decided to enter the C40 contest for the rights to design the architecture of the new building in Phoenix. Once again, they asked us to create a massive visual package for the pitch decks, PR articles, and social media.
Circular economy
To transform a previously untapped site into a center for innovation, RIC will allow companies to research new technologies to set up a circular economy that benefits local businesses and communities. It will also support Phoenix’s ambitious goals of protecting river ecosystems and achieving 50% waste diversion by 2030 and zero waste by 2050.
For a firm like Krause, with over 25 years of expertise in environmentally conscious design, the RIC was a perfect project to demonstrate their skills. As Michael Krause, partner and senior designer at the company put it, their design approach “begins where the typical approach ends. Rather than seeking incremental improvements, we went beyond checklist-minded sustainability certifications in an effort to truly give back to the community and our environment through design.”
That belief is reflected in their plan to achieve full carbon-positive status and aspire to earn the prestigious Living Building Challenge certification, one of the most rigorous sustainability certifications worldwide. This commitment ensures that their vision of the RIC will not only minimize the development’s environmental footprint but also serve as a model for similar projects in the future.
Capturing the essence of sustainability
To bring this vision to life visually, we were tasked with developing photorealistic architectural visualizations that communicate the project’s scale, purpose, and architectural intent. What made this project particularly exciting for our team was the way form, function, and the surrounding environment came together to create unique architecture.
Unlike most urban projects where obstructed views and rigid perspectives often limit artistic freedom, the RIC’s open, expansive setting of a desert provided an opportunity to explore bold and dynamic compositions that best serve both the client’s needs and our creative ambitions. With fewer environmental constraints, the team was able to experiment with various angles, delivering a range of architectural renderings that showcase the project to its full potential.
Furthermore, working with sustainable materials added another layer of challenge—the team focused on accurately representing these materials in the visualizations, ensuring that the final renders not only looked stunning but also aligned with the project’s core environmental principles.
Reversing our workflow
Typically, our visualization workflow starts with a bigger package—a broad set of mood shots and experimental compositions to get a feel for what our client would like to see make it into the finalized deck of renders. We throw wild ideas to the wall to see what sticks so we can narrow down the key hero shots. In this case, however, Krause proposed a different approach: they needed a few striking, fully finished ‘money shots’ first.
Once these hero images were in place, only then were we asked to expand the pitch deck with a collection of additional renders that would enrich the presentation, add layers of atmosphere, and serve as versatile content for social media usage and the competition. This reversed workflow turned out to be highly effective, allowing for a clear visual identity from the outset while ensuring the project was supported by a full range of imagery for various platforms and needs.
It’s a strategy that not only met the client’s needs but also showcased our studio’s flexibility in adapting to different storytelling approaches resulting in a greatly enhanced competition entry and ultimately, a winning presentation for Krause.
Project details
Location
Phoenix, United States
Partner
Team
Mohamed Atef
Péter Kollár
Services
Exterior Renderings
Interior Renderings
Impression Package
